Park Avenue
Park Avenue (formerly Fourth Avenue) is a 140 foot wide boulevard that carries north- and southbound traffic in the New York City borough of Manhattan. For most of its length, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Avenue to the east. The flowers and greenery in the median of Park Avenue are maintained by the Fund for Park Avenue. Begonias are a flower of choice for the Fund's gardeners because there is no automatic watering system and they can cope with the hot sun. Each December, Christmas trees are placed in the median in a tradition that started in 1945 as a memorial to soldiers killed in action. The road that becomes Park Avenue originates as the Bowery. From Cooper Square at 8th Street to Union Square at 14th Street, it is known as Fourth Avenue. Above 14th Street, it turns slightly east of north to align with other avenues of the Commissioners' Plan of 1811. From 14th Street to 17th Street, it forms the eastern boundary of Union Squa...